Blog # 4 Chapter 5 or 6 Activities

Blog Post #4 Activities for Chapter 5

1. I choose a quantitative research article for this activity. It researched opiods and social bonding while studying naltrexone and its reduction of feelings of social connection. Some of the characteristics of the report that led me to believe that it is an example of quantitative research were the use of words such as, "statistical analysis", "theory", "hypothesis", and "data". 
2. This study is experimental because data is taken and measured in a laboratory. 
3. The study is experimental and set up as a double-blind study 
4. Experimental.
5. The types of measures used were a scale to rate feelings of social connectedness, a daily diary and statistical analysis. I believe that the researcher provided enough information for me to respect their adequacy for use in this experiment. I also think that double-blind studies are more valid and reliable (if they truly are double-blind).
6. Participants were recruited via flyers. They underwent a physical exam. Then a patient health questionnaire was also collected to gauge mental health. A urine drug test was done to detect opiates and amphetamines. Other criteria to be included in the research was that the participant needed to be in good health, between 18-35 years of age and fluent in English. After screening 50 individuals, 37 were enrolled. 
7. The researchers describe the demographics minimally. The participants are in good physical and mental health, between 18-35 years of age and fluent in the English language. It is this author's opinion that more demographics could be plotted and discussed.
8. The researchers noted a main effect of the experiment, where participants reported significantly higher levels of social connection and positive affect apart from Naltrexone. Naltrexone was found to reduce feelings of social connection both in the lab and in day-to-day reports. In my opinion, these findings are significant and of practical importance because this type of research bridges some of the gap between physiological health (brain chemistry) and psychological health. 
9. This research does not boldly discuss limitations but does include some subtle notes that should not be overlooked. It would have been more beneficial if there was a specific portion for this to be examined more clearly. One idea that was touched on was looking at current research that includes naltrexone and how it effects feelings of connection as compared to general feelings of positivity.
10.  I could understand much of this article from a social science perspective but some of the physical science was more difficult for me to grasp. I think it is valuable as research but could see it being written in a more "user friendly" format.